Op-Amps 101 (Basic Op-Amp Theories & Applications)

Quickly test your basic Op-Amps knowledge with Skolnik's 5-question Challenge!

Click here for the PowerPoint Version of our Op-Amps Challenge or Click here for the PDF Version of our Op-Amps Challenge

Numerous engineers and technicians have requested this class from us in the past years.   Well, we listened to you and designed this one-day seminar, which we highly believe will help you to effectively understand about operational amplifiers (Op-Amps) properties, functions, operations, and its related circuits, etc., and to be able to successfully design different applications using op-amps, as well as to efficiently troubleshoot them.

This “Op-Amps 101” class is NOT just another op-amps class that teaches you the theoretical concepts, which you can easily and readily locate in many Electronics and/or Op-Amps standard textbooks!  It is a one-of-a-kind, practical class that will enable you to better comprehend how an op-amp operates.  It will not only allow you to be able to efficiently design and troubleshoot voltage followers, differential amplifiers, integrators, differentiators, etc., but also to create your own special application-specific designs, which are not found in standard textbooks.  Once you learn our instructor’s brilliant, unique, easy, and simple one-sentence rules, the mystery of op-amps will be forever gone! 

For your reference, below are some interesting background information regarding the history of this class and its designer / trainer, should you wish to peruse it.

Our instructor, Jay Skolnik, PE, also the author and instructor of our “Op-Amps 101” class, had first learned about op-amps, while he was an electrical engineering student in college.  

In the past, Jay realized that he could easily assemble an op-amp circuit by simply copying a suitable diagram from a textbook, although in reality, he was disappointed, as he really did not entirely understand how the op-amp had actually worked and behaved.  While working at various high-tech electronic companies, amongst Jay’s various responsibilities, one was to troubleshoot op-amp circuits.  And if a circuit was not a typical one found in textbooks, he would feel much discouraged and frustrated.  For example, if he could not apply the equations from the textbook designs, the output voltages or currents remained an obscurity / mystery to him!  Later, he was then instructed to design analog circuits, using op-amps.  This, too, was a challenge.  He noticed that if he designed a circuit, which was extracted from a textbook, sometimes it would not work properly!

As time progressed, through Jay’s numerous electronic design, test, and troubleshooting projects, combined with his industrious, persevering efforts in acquiring complete knowledge about op-amps, finally, a learning revelation came to him one day!  Jay was simply ecstatic, as after all of those years, these op-amps suddenly now have made much more sense than ever to him.    

One circuit which Jay had designed was to convert a stroke video to raster video, in real-time.  He accomplished this task, using op-amps in a non-traditional sense.  His pioneering work had allowed his company to successfully deliver a product to the customer, whereas the competitor had originally claimed that it was unachievable.  Of course, with this success, his company had subsequently pursued a patent on the innovative design.

As Jay became skilled at these devices and mastered this subject, in 1986, he began to train technicians, engineers, and managers, utilizing his excellent, rare, simple approach to learning and understanding op-amps, and  had received a multitude of glowing praises, compliments, and reviews from his students.  In response to your high demand for the Op-Amps class, Jay is absolutely delighted and eager to share his valuable and exciting learning revelation of these devices with you!